Favorite Holiday Traditions

[greybeard]

Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving all get about the same attention here. Even tho I'm 74 now and it's just wife and I, we still put up decorations for each holiday, inside and out, have big meals, especially at Thanksgiving, which is a 4 day event, beginning Wed before Thanksgiving with Mexican food that afternoon and into the night at my oldest sister's house. Traditional turkey/dressing on Thursday at one of our homes, pot luck with several turkeys and hams brought. Friday, is smoked brisket, Saturday, leftover turkey/ham/brisket and a very long Mexican Train tournament. (it's dominoes)
Sunday is church and the last of the leftovers before everything gets frozen or thrown out.

Christmas, the tree will go up here at my house a few days after Thanksgiving, the lights and yard stuff a couple days later. I send Christmas cards old school, not by email or messaging. USPS, stamps and envelopes. I will start getting those ready in the next couple weeks. We do wrap presents, fill stockings (just the 2 of us and the dogs) I, open presents Christmas morning, wife usually can't wait and does it Christmas Eve. and I begin cooking immediatly after opening gifts Christmas morning unless we're traveling. . Usually the traditional smoked ham and brisket. The tree and outside lighting comes down sometime between New Years and Easter...but not necesarily in the same year it was put up....

 

[GoWyo]

I like Thanksgiving the best. Slow time of year for ranch stuff and can get away for a few days to visit family. Not many little kids in the family right now and travel can be dicey, so it is actually kind of a depressing time of year with short days and bad weather and family a minimum of 5 hours away. The only little kids live in Alberta. In a couple years they will be old enough to travel well and we are looking at just renting a place in Arizona for a week to allow everyone who can make it go down for a nice time.

 

[Texas Ranch Hand]

Thanksgiving. I work with my wife, brother, son, and daughter in the family construction business. This is about it for my family along with their families. We know we are very lucky for us to see each other every day when so many folks are spread out all over. And my favorite tradition is for all of us to head to the ranch for Thanksgiving. All of the same dishes we grew up on - and if something's missing from the menu it is noted. Morning deer hunt, then late lunch followed by football and then afternoon hunt, then the turkey sandwiches. The most relaxed we all can be (with some drama at times) but truly a great time to be thankful for all we have.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Thanksgiving is my favorite.

It's about family at our house and no one is expecting anything but good fellowship.

 

[Ky hills]

I reckon Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Love the true meaning of Christmas and Easter. These days the concept of Thanksgiving and just being thankful is something I'm working on.
Growing up our Thanksgiving and Christmas meals were pretty much the same, Turkey, salt cured country ham, scalloped oysters, biscuit and cornbread dressing, baked cushaw, broccoli casserole, mashed potatoes, corn pudding, cranberry sauce, fruit salad, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, custard.
Now that it's just my wife and I we have turkey, or store bought city ham ( wife doesn't like country ham ),hash brown casserole vegetables, pecan pie.
My tradition is eating the turkey neck, liver, gizzard, as soon as the turkey comes out of the oven.

 

[aprille218]

Some of our favorite family traditions are decorating gingerbread houses, picking out the " perfect" tree and baking sugar cookies.

 

[CowboyRam]

It used to be when grandma was alive the whole family would get together Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Now the families just do their own thing now that she is gone. With Dad, my sister, and myself we usually try to go to the Christmas Eve service or go look at the Christmas lights.

 

[Schmitty]

Our traditions used to be to go to my dads house with my kids to open presents on Christmas Eve (white elephant style for the adults, kids still get plenty from everyone) early morning Christmas presents with our kids at home and then over to the in-laws Christmas afternoon to do another round of presents (also white elephant style). But as the kids became adults we have to occasionally let traditions change to accommodate them going to their significant other's family gatherings her and there. We are all still together on Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays, just not as bright and early as when they were younger and more excited about the process.

 

[PineyRidgeFarm]

Christmas morning breakfast with my family, a tradition going back 75 years

 

[Philip-TX]

Dad was a pastor. He had to preach Christmas morning. We got a reprieve from that morning svc. We went to Candlelight Svc Christmas Eve and opened presents afterwards. When I became a parent, it was every-other at the in-laws (Thanksgiving & Christmas). Big traditional meals and football, goose hunting (at the coast for her parent's place in SE-TX), and a lot of sitting on the couch. Deer hunting when at my family's place in Cen-TX, (feeding cows and farm chores) with an occasional duck hunt here and there, big family hayride down the county road, caroling to distant neighbors (usually elderly relatives), usually involved a bottle of "something" passed around for a belly-warmer. The youngsters always snuck a snort or two.

New Years for my (German side) family was Klasse. Kartoffel Klasse, to be exact. Riced potato dumplings with croutons in the center, and venison sausage w/ sauerkraut. Her side was ham with black-eyed peas, and we managed to squeeze some gumbo in the somewhere.

I am the Opa (grandpa) now and we do the same in-law's swap deal for my kids/grandkids. When they are here we do much the same as my side of the family always did. Hunting and farm chores, but I get to spoil the little 3yr old and ,2mos old rug rats. Live'n the dream.

Edit: As the family has grown we do a charitable family "project" or otherwise "bless somebody" as a group activity. Can be 30+ when all of the aunts/uncles/cousins get together.

 

[Rancher]

Thanksgiving because it's also my birthday! 86 and still ranching. My extended family is usually here and I'm the chef. Old friend swing by just to say how ya doin' I sure love that

 

[andybob]

Due to my mostly Scottish heritage, New Year (Homany) is my favourite and I still "play in" the new year on my bagpipes.

 

[crossbredcalves]

Thanksgiving and Christmas are our family's two big get-togethers. My dad's side of the family all get together and spend most of the day together. We eat and play games as a family. It's about the only time besides funerals that we get together anymore.

 

[gman4691]

Favorite tradition is spending time with family…we have Christmas twice: once at Mom's house (Christmas Day) and one with the wife's family at our house - same for Thanksgiving & Easter. Gifts are wrapped on the days leading up to Christmas…all opened on Christmas Day. A cousin in Lufkin, Texas (next town south of here) used to have a Christmas Eve party…might reinvigorate that tradition at my house…miss those get togethers…lots of food, white elephant gift game, and laughing until it hurts…lol. The missus will want to put up decorations including a real tree the day after Thanksgiving and I will go along as gracefully as possible…lol, again.

Incidentally, I'm more of a ham kinda guy.

 

[greybeard]

I forgot that elephant gift thing. We rotate every year, one person states what the type will be. Kitchen crap.. coffee mug...clothing...tool etc. I pizzed 1/2 the family off when my time rolled around. "Nothing store bought. Has to be something you made". They had a year to do it tho

 

[4hfarms]

Grew up poor in a dysfunctional family. Moved around to much, until I met my wife and retired. We don't have much of any traditions. We have a tree and decorate for some of the holidays. We eat what we want at that time, usually something wrapped in bacon. May it be turkey or deer backstraps. We are both cooks, makes eating fun. Great meals with the kids, its enough for us.

 

[J-LizH]

I would love to hear about your favorite holiday traditions -

Do you open gifts up on Christmas Eve? Do you not wrap any presents on Christmas Eve? Enjoy Blackeye peas and collard greens on New Year's...

Let's share and get to know each other more.

It's a toss up between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I live in Florida so no snow activities. Except one year way back. We got a 1/4 of an inch and the whole town and hwy came to a stop. lol. I love Thanksgiving because it's not as commercialized as Christmas. As many as possible family and friends gathers together. 57 was our biggest dinner. We have an empty wreath I put out and have colored paper leaves that everyone writes on putting the things that we are thankful for during the last year, or special memories of a love one that may have passed. I keep each year in an envelope, they are available too to look through the past years. Some years are harder than others and it's great fo the have the memories, seeing how the Lord kept us and sustained us. We have so much especially to be thankful this year!
Of course we prepare a big spread a ham and a turkey and all the fixings. Then dessert eventually. Before we eat we gather in a circle and give God the glory and thank Him for all things. The good, the bad and the ugly. If it weren't for the bad and the ugly stuff we go through the good would never be appreciated as much. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to you all!

 

[gcreekrch]

I thought every day was a holiday?
Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving are all celebrated with a ham dinner and several pies. Crew or friends or kids join us. Other than the meal and a few presents the days still have tasks that need doing.

 

[Ned Jr.]

I probably favor Thanksgiving also. Christmas is good also but sometimes there's too much build up and drama. My youngest daughter has three kids ages 1, 2 and 3. They are soooo much fun. They've made all holidays a lot more fun. My wife does the holiday meals about 99% of the time but she's an awesome cook so I'm good with that. Turkey/ham and fixings for Thanksgiving. I'm good for 2 or 3 leftovers with turkey then I don't want to see another until the next Thanksgiving. We usually have prime rib on Christmas. Sometimes crab and seafood on New Years with black eyed peas for good luck.

 

[wbvs58]

I have a pretty quite one here which I like. My daughter and grandkids are usually away at sailing regattas. My highlight is lunch, I usually buy 1kg of prawns to pig out on.

Ken